A need has been recognized for devices and methods of measuring the color or other optical characteristics of teeth and other objects, particularly in the field of dentistry. Reference is made to the following applications, all by inventors hereof, which are hereby incorporated by reference, which disclose various systems and methods for measuring teeth and other objects: U.S. application Ser. No. 09/091,208, filed on Jun. 8, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,047, issued on May 15, 2001, which is based on International Application No. PCT/US97/00126, filed on Jan. 2, 1997, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/581,851, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,229, issued Apr. 28, 1998, for Apparatus and Method for Measuring Optical Characteristics of an Object; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/091,170, filed on Jun. 8, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,385, issued on Jul. 3, 2001, which is based on International Application No. PCT/US97/00129, filed on Jan. 2, 1997, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/582,054, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,030 issued Jun. 2, 1998, for Apparatus and Method for Measuring Optical Characteristics of Teeth; PCT Application No. PCT/US98/13764, filed on Jun. 30, 1998, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/886,223, filed on Jul. 1, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,262, issued on Jul. 20, 1999, for Apparatus and Method for Measuring Optical Characteristics of an Object; PCT Application No. PCT/US98/13765, filed on Jun. 30, 1998, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/886,564, filed on Jun. 30, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,826, issued on March 9, 1999, for Apparatus and Method for Measuring Optical Characteristics of Teeth; and U.S. application Ser. No. 08/886,566, filed on Jul. 1, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,205, issued on Oct. 12, 1999, for Method and Apparatus for Detecting and Preventing Counterfeiting. The foregoing patent documents are sometimes referenced collectively herein as the “Referenced Patent Documents.”
The foregoing patent documents disclose a variety of systems and methods for measuring teeth and other objects. For example, FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,826 discloses a system that uses a pen-like probe that could be held much like a pencil with the probe tip directed to the tooth or other object. FIG. 35 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,826 discloses a handheld configuration which may be held much like a gun, with a switch located in a position for the “trigger function” to activate the system. One color measuring system introduced to the market has a physical configuration in which the user holds the instrument “football style” (the user's hand cradles the instrument much like a user would hold a football in a traditional football throwing motion). In general, in the field of dentistry a variety of stylus, probe, gun-like and other implements have been proposed and/or utilized to varying degrees of commercial acceptance.
Although the systems described in the Referenced Patent Documents, and the above mentioned dental implements, provide a variety of physical arrangements for dental instruments, there is still a need, particularly with respect to instruments that are capable of quantifying the optical properties of dental objects such as teeth, for instruments that are easier to hold and utilize in the dental or similar environment as compared with such existing physical arrangements. In particular, there is a need for instruments of improved physical construction so that dentists and other users may measure teeth and other objects comfortably and precision, and preferably without bending or contorting the wrist, hand or other body parts.
There also continues to be a need for such instruments with improved infection prevention implements, and for such instruments that utilize multiple spectrometers to more optimally measure and quantify the optical properties of translucent, pearlescent or other optically complex materials.